We’ve heard the saying: comic book movies are only as good as their villains. Here, Dano puts forward a strong case for that. But, it’s the blurred delineation of Bruce Wayne and Batman that makes this iteration special. It’s the most empathetic and nuanced interpretation yet, despite barely a page of dialogue from Bruce himself. 

In a world of superhero films preoccupied with expanding universes and exhausting cameos. The Batman succeeds because it looks both inward and outwards. The unravelling of riddles parallel Bruce’s confrontation of unresolved trauma and reveal facets of him and the myth we have yet to see on screen. In equal measure, the rich worldbuilding operates as an extension of character, grounding Gotham’s underbelly of corruption and gallery of criminals. 

Ultimately, Batman resonates because we identify with his human fallibilities, admire his choice to be something more than his privilege. In Reeves’ film, those struggles has never been more prominent, never more engrossing.